Declaration of the Mediterranean Conference of the Left (Short version)

Declaration of the Mediterranean Conference of the Left (Short version)

13 April 2017

The Left Parties from both sides of the Mediterranean met in Benalmadena 30th March to the 2nd April of 2017 for the in the 3rd Mediterranean Conference to reinforce our ties of solidarity.

In the current context of neoliberal aggression against the people it is important to strengthen our political action against the capitalist and imperialist forces which condemn the people in the south and the north of the Mediterranean to unemployment, exploitation, hunger, and poverty. They have a common goal based on unlimited profit coming from the exploitation of human and natural resources. And so our answer to this must be a joint effort too, based both on socialism and ecology.

Global warming accelerates migration and conflicts around the Mediterranean. It is a geostrategic issue linked to competition for raw materials, like oil and gas, soil and water resources.

The Mediterranean Sea which unites us, has now become the biggest mass grave in the world due to the European Union and NATO’s policies. They have developed the militarization of the Mediterranean Sea and the EU’s borders, and a series of changes in the migration and asylum policies which are a direct attack on human rights and international law, including the Geneva Convention itself. Within the EU, the far right is on the rise and xenophobia is spreading. The only way to counter this is through internationalism and solidarity, and therefore we demand an immediate change in foreign and trade policies to put human rights before economic profit and policies of austerity to establish safe and legal ways to reach a safe future in the EU.

The situation in the Maghreb and the Mashreq is characterized not only by capitalist exploitation but also by imperialist aggression. The wars currently going on in Syria and Yemen are a proof of this, in which the aggression led by imperialist forces is murdering of hundreds of thousands. In Yemen the war during the last two years has spread famine amongst the majority of the population, and in Syria the war has already lasted six years and has killed more than half a million people and displaced over eleven million. These wars are fuelled by the global arms industry which is profiting more than ever. The left must stand unequivocally on the side of peace and support all efforts to achieve an alternative.

We stand in solidarity with the Turkish and Kurdish left which is facing unprecedented levels of oppression, with political leaders and social activists being imprisoned by Erdogan’s regime. We demand their immediate release and express our solidarity with Selahattin Demirtas, co-leader of HDP, who has started a hunger strike in prison on the 31st March. We stand in solidarity with the people of Rojava who are fighting the terrorism of Daesh, Turkish invasions and at the same time are putting in place an intense social transformation. We also support the self-determination of the Western Sahara and demand the holding of a referendum on the terms laid down by the UN resolutions. In Cyprus, we demand the end of the Turkish occupation of the north of the island for a future of coexistence between the two communities of the island in one democratic state.

Finally, we demand the immediate end of the Israeli colonization of the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as the suspension of the EU-Israel agreement as long as Israel violates human rights. We support the Palestinian struggle and we condemn the repression of BDS campaign activists. We also call for lifting the siege on Gaza and its reconstruction. We confirm the right of the Palestinian people for their self-determination to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital on the 4 June 1967 borders. Pressure on Israel must continue until it respects international law and human rights, ends the occupation of the Palestinian territories guaranteeing the right to return of all refugees in accordance with Resolution 194 of the UN’s General Assembly, and frees the 6500 political prisoners, including the 300 imprisoned children from Israeli jails.

We must build a new kind of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation based on equality, secularism, human rights, and public ownership of resources. Our conferences and partnerships will continue to develop and to promote cooperation between the left parties, social movements, trade unions, activists, and other who wish to join us in our struggle for a Mediterranean of peace and social justice.